Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro PC Intel i5-4590T Quad Core 2.00GHz 4GB RAM 500GB HDD Windows 10 Professional

Our Specialist view of the Dell Optiplex 9020 Micro PC

The Spec:

The Dell Optiplex 9020 refurbished Micro PC has the following spec: A 4^th Gen Intel Core i5 Quad Core processor backed up by 4GB DDR3 RAM and a good size 500GB SATA III mechanical hard drive. Windows 10 Professional is preinstalled so you need only turn it on to get up and running. The Micro chassis also houses USB 3.0, VGA, RJ-45 network and DisplayPort connectivity.

The Good Bits:

Without stating the obvious from its name, this Dell PC is 18.2cm high, 3.6cm wide and 17.6cm deep when stood on its end. It’s really really small and can be hidden away very easily. To that end it could be used as an everyday workstation or a media PC. It wouldn’t take much imagination to hide it or mount it behind your TV at home and bingo, you have upgraded your TV to a smarter SMART TV. Upgrades to the RAM and hard drive are easy as well. The chassis comes apart without having to undo loads of screws. There are 2 slots for up to 16GB RAM and the 2.5” hard drive can be easily swapped out for a faster and quieter Solid State Drive.

The Not So Good Bits:

As with most ultra small and micro/mini pc’s, cooling has always been the main problem. The smaller chassis mean less space so the fans have to be smaller, which in turn means less cool air can be drawn in to the PC. This isn’t a terminal issue; you just need to bare it in mind when locating the Dell 9020.

The Design:

We touched on this above in several places and highlighted its small stature is detrimental to its cooling but a real plus point to making it a multipurpose machine. We really like the number of ports it has, both front and back and that it can run 2 screens.

Suitability:

We would say it’s best suited to a home user looking for a discreetly sized workstation or a media pc that can be hidden easily.